The second annual Materials Olympics drew high school students from across Ontario to campus on February 21 for a day of learning through friendly competition.
Jointly hosted by the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and ASM Materials Camp Canada, this free event included representation from four school boards, including Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Grand Erie and York Region District. Their students competed in four competitions: DomesDay, Resistance, Microscopy and Trivia.
Since launching in 2024, the Materials Olympics has introduced hundreds of secondary school students to the field of Materials Engineering, a subject they might not typically encounter until university.
“If you were to ask the average person what mechanical or software engineering is, they would have an idea. Ask them about materials engineering, and you’re likely to get blank looks,” says Assistant Professor Bryan Lee, the main organizer of the event, alongside Materials Science & Engineering Department Chair Hatem Zurob. “The Materials Olympics is a step towards changing this in the communities around McMaster University.”
DomesDay involved crushing domes with a mechanical tester to determine who could construct the strongest one. Teams prepared domes from late 2024 to early 2025 at their local schools. The resistance challenge saw teams compete to choose the right combination of materials to meet certain electrical resistance requirements while the microscopy challenge had teams using their microscopy skills to find microscale logos etched into pennies. Teams were also participated in Materials Trivia competitions and had the opportunity to explore campus throughout the day. Students competed on behalf of their schools with prize money going toward their school’s science and technology departments.
Highlighting the impact that materials engineers can have on various industries can better help prospective students choose their field of study.
“Inspiring our youth to consider Materials Engineering or even STEM broadly has been our mission from the start,” says Zurob. “Highlighting the impact that materials engineers can have on various industries can better help prospective students choose their field of study.”
A full list of the award winners can be found below.
2025 Award winners:
DomesDay Overall Winner: Elsie MacGill Secondary School
DomesDay Runner-up Metallic Design Winner: Assumption College
DomesDay Runner-up Materials Winner: Garth Webb Secondary School
Resistance Challenge: St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School
Microscopy Challenge: Sherwood Secondary School
Materials Trivia Winners: Iroquois Ridge High School, T.A. Blakelock, Sherwood Secondary School, Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School, Assumption College,
